Advance Review: The Murder Race Begins In ‘Those Not Afraid’ #1
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
What’s better than a story about a serial killer? How about two of them? Now have them compete to see which can kill more people and set a new state record! It’s a fun(?) premise that is paid off well in this initial issue with some killer (get it?) artwork.
Overall
9/10As if one serial killer isn’t bad enough, imagine if your town had a second mass murder roaming the streets. But what’s even worse than that? The two killers competing in a so-called “murder race.”
The unnamed town in Those Not Afraid is suffering under that scary conceit as the two killers — nicknamed Ladykiller and the Home Intruder — amp up the body count to set a new state record.
In writer Kyle Starks’ clever script, the pair of murderers run into each other at a crime scene. After learning that they are both close to eclipsing the state record for kills, the two challenge each other to see who can set the record first.
Starks gives readers just enough information about the two killers to keep us coming back for more. Mark Christopher Ewing (why do these psychos often insist on using their middle names) is Ladykiller, who beheads young brunettes. He is the instigator of the sick contest and seems to be the darker of the two murderers.
Then there’s Daniel Dodson, the Home Intruder, who breaks into random homes and kills the occupants. He’s a bit more subdued than Ladykiller, sometimes using a gun to make his kills. He also hides behind a mask that he has designed himself.
Artist Patrick Piazzalunga injects his own horror elements into the characters. Ladykiller’s demented, douchey smile tells us everything we need to know about him without ever having to read a word bubble. And Home Invader’s emoji-inspired mask makes it clear that we want to call 911 if we ever see this dude approaching a neighbor’s house.
With this strong start to a fairly unique story under their belt, the creative team’s next challenge will be to continue to surprise the readers. There are some breadcrumbs they have left for us – a former sheriff who has turned to the bottle, the killer who set the existing record, the podcaster who gets too close to the killers – that could steer this limited series to familiar ground. That would be a shame given how good this first issue is.
Those Not Afraid #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, from Dark Horse Comics.
